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Analysis: Can Ireland turn it around in time for France quarter-final?
By Nathan Johns
Attack. Defence. Set-piece. Kicking, Ireland were second best in every facet of the game against New Zealand.
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Irish boss Scott Bemand certainly had his hands full in terms of analysing how his side improves next week’s performance to the extent they can pull off a quarter-final upset of France.
When so many things go wrong, more often than not the cause comes down to one simple element. Power. The Black Ferns were athletically dominant.
Defenders flew out of the line to knock back Irish carriers. Attackers powered through tackle attempts. When Ireland kicked, they did so off the back of being knocked back phase after phase, not on their own terms.
Given the personnel at their disposal, France will back themselves to have a similar advantage. If anything, their scrum looks to be even more powerful, something which may not bode well for Ireland depending on injuries in their front row.
Rugby is a collision sport. Sometimes there is nothing you can do tactically to make up for a physical imbalance. That said, Ireland believe they can narrow the gap by making tweaks to their game plan and its execution.
In attack, Ireland entered the 22 seven times against New Zealand. They still came away with zero points. Co-captain Sam Monaghan offered one potential fix; Ireland simply need to be stronger in contact. “It was our carrying game, we need to be more physical,” she said.
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“We need to hit them up front, hit the front door, test them through the middle like they were doing to us. Then be able to play off that. We were a bit passive with our carry at the start, once we got on top of them then we could play.
“Our depth as well, once we come running onto the ball…the likes of Brittany Hogan, Clíodhna Moloney, them players they are going over. Having a bit more time, our timing off our nine as well, working onto the ball, carrying over.”
So not just pure power. Running angles off nine, using footwork to hit soft shoulders instead of well-set defenders, better timing between the scrumhalf and her forward runners. There’s plenty of small detail which Monaghan believes can make a difference.
A key feature, though, is the identity of those carrying the attacking workload. Out-half Dannah O’Brien made the most Irish carries on Sunday with 15. No team plans for their 10 to lead the way in that statistic.
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Every time Ireland looked to go wide, Kiwi runners flew out of the line. O’Brien was caught time and again behind the gain line. Defenders had time to set because inside carriers hadn’t knocked them back. Hence Monaghan’s rallying cry for better, more physical carries.
Go harder and more direct before going wide. Bring the power runners into the game more. Aoife Dalton and Béibhinn Parsons, Ireland’s two most powerful backs, both made a series of half-breaks with scrappy ball. But they only made six carries between them. That number has to rise.
In defence, Ireland simply couldn’t handle New Zealand’s bigger carriers. France can replicate that attacking power. Ireland don’t play with a fast line speed, a la the Black Ferns, but their speed off the line was still too slow. Allowed time on the ball, Kiwi runners built a head of steam.
“What we’ve got to do is just get a little bit better in controlling how those threats get on the ball and what space we give them,” acknowledged Bemand. Finding a way of protecting O’Brien in the defensive line should also be considered. Every 10 gets targeted by carriers, but New Zealand were still ruthless in how they went after her.
In terms of set-piece, green-tinged optimism will point to a scrum that largely held firm against the Black Ferns. When Ireland last played France, though, les Bleues absolutely had the upper hand during the Six Nations. Newly-capped prop Ellena Perry turned the Irish scrum into a weapon when playing Japan a fortnight ago but she faces a race to be fit for Sunday.
The lineout, by contrast, saw Ireland score three tries against France in the spring. Aoife Wafer was strong carrying off the back of it. Again, fitness becomes a key narrative, given she has yet to feature in this competition. Ireland’s lineout was solid last weekend, albeit crucial lost throws cost them opportunities in attacking situations.
Finally, how Ireland kick should certainly look different to last weekend. O’Brien was the only one to put boot to ball. She often kicked after the attack was repelled, pressured by a fast line speed. She also kicked long to a dangerous back three. Expect Ireland to kick earlier in the phase count on their own terms. A more varied kicking game, testing France with both short chips and long bombs, is also an option.
The good news for Ireland was last Sunday’s status as a pool game. They have the chance to fix the issues which cost them. They live to fight another day.
Whether they can make the above improvements to deal with another expected power deficit is another question entirely. Bemand and co will know all about these tweaks. They’ll probably have a few surprises up their sleeve as well. The success of their analysis and their ability to change the game plan will dictate Ireland’s World Cup future now the games are do or die.
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